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Kemsa Board of Management Chairman Irungu Nyakera during a press conference on the Organizations turn around reports on the turn round reports at Embakasi Offices, on Wednesday, February, 21, 2024. [File, Standard]
Former KICC Board chair Irungu Nyakera now says he was fired for saying that he would not attend Mt Kenya political meetings last week, and for urging leaders to focus on development rather than politics during President William Ruto’s tour.
Speaking on Spice FM on Wednesday, April 9, Nyakera claimed that he had informed officials he would be out of the country pursuing his master’s degree.
However, in his absence, he urged leaders to prioritise development in the meetings.
“The statement I made that I will not attend the Mt Kenya meetings, despite being away for 10 days pursuing my master’s at Oxford University, is what got me fired. I also urged leaders to discuss developments and not just politics… that is what got me fired,” claimed Nyakera.
According to him, how he was dismissed appeared emotional.
“This administration during Uhuru’s tenure was the biggest critic. But Uhuru never fired them. Across government ranks, what I hold (my opinion) is what most people talk about,” he argued.
Why Irungu Nyakera was fired as the Chair of KICC@wnyakera: The statement I made that I would not attend the Mt Kenya meetings, despite being away for 10 days pursuing my masters at Oxford University, is what got me fired.#TheSituationRoom
He added that while he has no issue with being fired, the urgency with which it was done raised concerns.
“The issue that I took with the firing is that it was done on a Tuesday, on a special issue. It shows intolerance. There was nothing special for it to be on a special issue. It could have been done on a Friday, on the next gazette issue,” said Nyakera.
His remarks came just days after President William Ruto revoked his appointment and named Samuel Waweru Mwangi as his replacement.
According to a special Gazette Notice dated April 1, 2025, Mwangi will serve a three-year term.
Nyakera had been appointed to the post seven months ago, with a mandate to transform KICC into a premier hub for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism, positioning it to rival destinations such as Kigali in Rwanda and Cape Town in South Africa.
Farmers Party
Following his dismissal, Farmers Party, a party he is associated with, yesterday announced plans to exit the Kenya Kwanza alliance.
Led by former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, the party has issued a 30-day notice signaling its intention to leave the coalition.
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Nyakera attributed the decision to Ruto’s alleged failure to fulfill campaign promises. “For us as Farmers Party, we were invited on the premise that the farmers will be taken care of. But to date, these promises have not been fulfilled,” he said.
“Currently, we have 18 new bills in Parliament, all focusing on new taxation for farmers, so farmers cannot say they are in a better position.”
He further argued: “We withdrew because we got to a point where we felt our voice was not heard. It was a marriage that was not working; there was a lot of political infidelity.”
His removal marks a recent trend in the Kenya Kwanza government, where critics are either sidelined or fired.
The Standard Group Plc is a
multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper
print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key
influence in matters of national and international interest.
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